


The one where Alicia meets Elyza

by melchellington



Category: Elyza Lex - Fandom, Lexark - Fandom, QTWD
Genre: Bisexual, F/F, Lesbian, walking dead - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-10
Updated: 2016-03-13
Packaged: 2018-05-25 20:20:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6208681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melchellington/pseuds/melchellington
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The family is barricaded inside a large department store with a seemingly never ending onslaught of walkers. Elyza shows up, saves them all and maybe sticks around to teach them a thing or two about surviving in the real world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Elyza Lex, in the washroom, with the machete

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alicia is equally smart and a smart ass. Elyza is instantaneously smitten. Maddy is worried. And the dead guy, well, he's extra dead.

Sleeplessness had seized Alicia in the night. After tossing on the thin blanket covering the linoleum floor where she rested for over an hour she finally gave up. Her family had taken refuge in an abandoned department store, locked safely away behind 6 inch thick glass doors deadbolted and chained shut. So she felt a small sense of freedom for being able to wander the building in search of an outfit that wasn’t covered in dirt and sinew. She stood in the ladies’ department, guided by a propane lantern they had found in the camping aisle, tossing hangered clothing aside as she deemed it unsuitable for her taste. She was unabashedly undressing to try on her selections when she noticed large patches of grime on her own skin. She headed topless toward the restrooms, selections in hand. The faucets didn’t work but each toilet had a large reservoir of water that was surprisingly still full. She winced with disgust when the paper towels she used to wipe her body came away a shade of brown and red.

Between the sounds of water sloshing as she dipped new towels in, a faint clinking, scraping sound reached her ears. She paused her bath and grabbed the lantern, shining it toward the door. Bumps on her skin appeared in response to the cold air now on her wet body and the possibility of what may be behind the swinging door. She was frozen for a moment, deciding weather to make a run for it or to try and hide in the stall. The scrapping sound grew louder. She grabbed the closest pair of clean jeans, pulling them over her bare feet. If the walkers had reached her, they may already be attacking her family. She decided to try to get back to them. She would use the swing door to surprise the walker then make a run for it. She bent down to grab a shirt when suddenly the door lurched open and the undead body was on her. She began screaming, pushing the body away as best she could. The pair of them fell to the floor, the walkers’ teeth inches from her face when an unfamiliar female voice, thick with a British, or maybe Australian accent called out, “Close your mouth.”

Alicia did as she was commanded and a spatter of blood hit her face as a thick blade struck the skull above her. She pushed the now limp body off and stood quickly, assessing the blonde stranger in front of her. Wavy blonde curls threatened to release themselves from a series of braids and loose hair tied into a lazy bun. The blue of her eyes popped from a sea of dark paint covering her eyelids and temples. A layer of dust coated her, discoloring the black of her loose hanging leather jacket. Tight black jeans clung to her muscular thighs and ended at a pair of worn, steel toed combat boots. Alicia counted 5 visible weapons: two shotguns whose barrels had been sawed short crossed on her back, a large hunting knife holstered to her right thigh, a pistol holstered to her left hip, and of course, the machete she held in her left hand dripping with the blood of the body lying between between them. She likely had more weapons hiding in the various satchels around her body. The stranger wiped the machete on the blue polo uniform the walker was wearing then holstered it on her right hip.

“Have you been bit?” The woman demanded, grabbing the lantern and shining the light over Alicia’s body, inspecting it with deft fingers.

“No, get off me,” Alicia pushed her away, turning as tears pooled in her eyes. She hadn’t been quite this close to death at the hand of the walkers and the reality of it struck her hard. She grabbed a wet paper towel and began to wipe the blood and tears off her face. The stranger noticed Alicia shaking and approached her kindly, “Hey, it’s ok. You’re ok.” She took the towel from Alicia’s hand and helped get the last bits of sinew. “There, all better.” Alicia’s sniffling stopped. The blonde looked at the towel in her hand, “Where did you get the water anyway?”

“From the back of the toilet,” Alicia gestured lightly.

“Smart,” the woman responded with a sly smile that suddenly felt familiar to Alicia, though she would have remembered meeting this warrior woman before. “Let me get in on that,” she pushed by Alicia and cupped some water in her hands, splashing it on her face. The water ran down her face and neck, catching the lantern light. Alicia could only stare silently as the woman filled her mouth then spit into the toilet bowl.

“Alicia,” her mother's voice came frantically from the hallway, through the swing door now propped open by the dead body and echoed off the ceramic bathroom tile.

“I'm here mom,” she yelled in reply and began to head for the doorway. A strong arm grabbed her, holding her back. “Let me go, it’s just my mom.” Eliza looked her up and down, drawing her awareness to her shirtless chest. “You might wanna cover up. I mean I don't mind the view but…” She trailed off when Alicia wrenched her arm free, blushing slightly. She grabbed a clean t-shirt from the clothing pile and had just pulled it over her head when her mother appeared at the doorway.

“Alicia, thank goodness. Are you ok?” She took stock of the situation, the look of concern on her face deepening when her gaze rose from the dead body to the blonde haired women, “What’s going on here?”

“Nothing Mom, there was a walker but - “ she gestured to the blonde.

“Elyza,” she interjected, “Elyza Lex, pleasure."

A quick, sharp laugh escaped Alicia, "That sounds fake."

Elyza shot her a look of annoyance but simply answered, "We should move.” She jumped over the body in the doorway and began down the hall. Alicia exchanged a silent look with her mother, “Well, go.” She grabbed a few more articles of clothing and a pair of shoes from the pile then pushed her mom out the doorway with her. Elyza’s figure bounded down the hallway in front of them, the flashlight she had drawn from her pack swaying with her movement. Alicia handed the lantern to her mother so she could pull one of the clean, long sleeved, plaid shirts over her shoulders, tying a second to her waist.

“What happened?” Madison angrily whispered to her.

“Nothing Mom, seriously. I was just trying to get some clean clothes.”

“You shouldn't wander off. You could have been hurt.” her mom continued to scold her as they approached Elyza.

“Jesus mom, I'm fine.”

Eliza paused at the end of the hallway and they halted behind her. “Shhhh.” They listened quietly as Elyza scanned the area with a flashlight. “Is it just you two?” she whispered to Madison. “No, there’s six more of us. We’re camped by the main entrance.” Elyza nodded, “Lead the way. Stay in the aisles. You,” she turned to Alicia, “stay behind her and I'll protect the rear.”

“I have a name,” Alicia scoffed but fell into step behind Maddy.

“I know you do, cutie,” Elyza responded playfully to Alicia’s back, though a pause in her step and a brief glance backward confirmed that she had heard her clearly. “Alicia, right? Do you have a last name to go with it?”

“No, it’s just Alicia. Like Cher or Madonna.”

“Alicia, don't be rude. Our last name is Clark,” her mother interjected.

They stopped at a cross aisle to scan and listen for walkers. “Clark, huh.” Maddy was holding the lantern aloft allowing Alicia to study the uncertainty on Elyza’s face. The blonde woman's bright blue eyes were staring a bit harder now, “Are you sure we haven't met before? The name is so familiar.” The lantern light swayed and Maddy let out a yelp. There were two walkers slowly approaching. Elyza rushed ahead, “Stay here.” She pulled a long bladed hunting knife from her thigh holster and charged. Maddy and Alicia watched as the silver blade quickly slid in and out of both skulls, the lifeless bodies crumpling to the ground. Elyza beckoned them on and they quickly joined her. Maddy returned to the front of the line.

“After you,” Elyza gestured with her bloody knife.

“You just want to stare at my ass,” Alicia whispered as she passed Elyza. It was the blonde’s turn to blush.

They passed two more cross roads in complete silence and without incident. As they paused at a third, Maddy scanned for walkers while Elyza approached Alicia, speaking lowly. “You should listen to your mom you know. It’s not safe to go anywhere alone.”

“Well, you’re here alone,” Alicia countered. “Aren’t you?”

Elyza looked down, with a hint of embarrassment, “I’m a foster kid. My parents died when I was 8. I’ve been alone most of my life.”

“My father,” Alicia’s voice shook slightly. “- he died when I was 11. It’s just my mom and my brother, oh and my mom’s stupid boyfriend and his weird kid.”

Maddy’s voice reached out from behind them “All clear, they should be just at the end of this next aisle.”

“Well, looks like you get to meet them whole crazy bunch. ”

Elyza smiled broadly, “Ha, we haven't even been on our first date and you're bringing me home to meet the family.” She chuckled and rushed ahead to meet up with Maddie, leaving Alicia in stunned silence.

“Alicia, come on,” her mother beckoned.

A half smile crossed her face as Elyza’s figure was briefly illuminated by the lantern. There was something so familiar about this strange woman, as though she was on the periphery of a memory Alicia hadn't quite made yet. She shook her head slightly at the absurdity of it then plodded forward, joining her mother in silence.

Travis woke at the sound of their approaching footsteps. He jumped up in surprise, groggily demanding, “who are you?” of the blonde stranger emerging from the darkness.

“You must be Travis,” he eyed the hand Elyza extended with suspicion. “I’m Elyza, I just saved Alicia and your - “

“She’s fine, Travis. She helped Alicia.” Maddy’s voice came from behind her. Her  reassurance prompted him to grasp the hand in front of him, although his suspicion intensified when he took in the full effect of the excessively armored, leather clad woman in front of him. “Thank you,” he mumbled.

She turned back to Maddy and Alicia, “I should go bring my bike in here. Wouldn’t want the walkers scuffing the trim.”

“Bike?” Maddy asked.

“Motorbike? You know, vroom vroom.” She made a throttle turning motion with her hands. Alicia stifled a laugh. “It’s parked out back. I was driving by and saw a stream of biters heading for a back door. That’s why I stopped.”

“We secured all the doors last night,” Travis interjected.

“Well, they’ve become unsecured,” Elyza answered smugly. Noticing the concern on their weary faces she added, “It’s alright. I think I got most of them on the way in but we should barricade the doors again.”

“So, you’re staying with us?” Travis asked, hesitation in his voice. He looked to Maddy for guidance but all she could offer was a shrug.

Elyza snuck a glance at Alicia who was suddenly busy pretending to ignore her. “A store as big as this, there’s bound to be a few treasures hid away. I’ll take what I want then go, if you like.”

“Hey, we were here first,” Daniel’s voice entered the conversation. Daylight had crept through the glass doors and skylights, rousing him and the rest of the group. “Who is she to come in here and steal from us?”

Elyza took a step toward her accuser, a palm instinctively raising to the handle of her machete. She had encountered men like this all her life. Greedy pricks who believe themselves to be so superior that they can't even address her directly. Judging her with one glance, hypocrisy dripping from their accusations. “I'm no more a thief than you are, old man. I could just leave you all here to die. Seven of you and just one shot gun between you. It’s a miracle you dimwits have survived this long.”

“How dare you talk to me like this? Disrespectful child -”

“That’s enough, Daniel,” peacekeeper Maddy interrupted. “Elyza just saved Alicia’s life and there is plenty here to go around.” He continued to fume silently for a moment without dropping Elyza’s gaze, then stormed off. A victorious smirk crossed her face and, noticing Alicia’s eyes on her, she pointed at his back and mouthed “Wanker”. Alicia stifled another laugh.

“Anyway,” she addressed Maddy and Travis again. “I really should go get my bike.” Elyza turned to go but stopped at the sound of Alicia’s voice. “She shouldn't go alone. Like you said mom, it’s not safe.” Alicia stepped closer, with the absurd notion of offering herself as Elyza’s guardian but Travis quickly volunteered instead.

Elyza shrugged at the offer, “Tag along if you like, Trav, but don't get in my way.” Her voice trailed away as her combat boots began plodding toward the back of the store. Travis exchanged a look of silent perplexion with Maddy then hurried to catch up with Elyza .

Nick joined Alicia in watching them go, then turned to her, intrigue filling his expression, “Who’s the super hot blonde?” Alicia smirked and answered, “I don't think you're her type, Nick.”

“Hey, it's a post-apocalyptic world. Warm bodies are getting fewer by the day. I could stand a chance.”

Alicia shook her head and laughed, “I really don't think so.”

“And what makes you so sure of that?”

Alicia looked at her brother, delighted with the thought of watching him try to flirt with Elyza while she either pretended to be interested out of kindness or flat out denied him. He was still so fragile though and she decided to spare him the heartbreak. She leaned in close to him, “Oh brother of mine, unless you magically sprouted tits and a vagina, you will never stand a chance with Elyza.” She patted him gently on the chest and walked away, leaving him to silently process this information.


	2. Securing the Premises

Travis had to run to keep up with Elyza. With full daylight they darted through the store aisles easily enough. When they reached a set of tall double swinging doors, Elyza paused and hunched below the small window pane that looked into the backroom and dock area. Elyza had engaged the lock on the door when she arrived earlier in the evening and was somewhat surprised to see it still holding. Travis hunched next to her catching his breath.

“When I was back here earlier, some of the roll away doors had been pulled up by the walkers and I’m not sure how many could have gotten through by now. So be prepared for anything.” She looked at Travis’ empty hands. “Where’s your weapon?” 

He pulled a ball pin hammer from his jacket.

“That’s it?,” she asked incredulously.  _ Bloody American’s,  _ she thought to herself. “I’m guessing you don’t have much training with firearms.”

Travis shook his head. “Fine, take this,” she pulled the large hunting knife from her thigh sheath and handed it to him. “And don’t lose it, it’s my lucky knife.” Dried bits of blood dotted the shiny silver blade and looking at it made Travis a little sick. Sure, he had killed in order to protect his family, but this, this felt more like hunting. 

Elyza noticed his pallor. “Fuck, Travis, look we’ve got one goal. Keep ourselves alive long enough to get back to my bike. Then we can waste whatever walking corpses are out there and secure these back entrances so your family can get a little bit of peace. Don’t you want that for them?”

Travis swallowed hard and nodded, “Yes, ok. I’m ready. But how will we -”

“Shh,” she slowly lifted her head to the window to be immediately greeted by a raw, bloody hand striking at the tempered glass. She could see three more walkers in the background. She pulled a shotgun from its holster on her back, and fingered the ammo pouch at her waist, counting about 10 shells.. 

“There’s one right here at the door, when I open it, it will lurch toward me. You need to be ready with that knife, ok?”

“Yes, ok,” he spoke with surprising confidence.

“There’s at least three more behind this one, I will get them with this,” she patted her shotgun, “I need you to stay right by me. I’ll draw their attention and you will get anything that comes close. Remember, blows to the head. Don’t waste energy on any other part of their body.”

Travis nodded, gripping the knife and his hammer tightly.

“Here we go,” Elyza unhooked the lock and jumped backward. The first walker stumbled through but Travis, quickly sunk the knife into the back of his skull. “Good, Travis, keep moving.” They stepped around the unmoving corpse, Elyza in the lead. With three shots, she took out the three aforementioned walkers but spotted two more, moving quickly at her from both sides. “I got left,” she yelled, pulling her pistol quickly and firing two rounds into its skull. Travis froze slightly as the walker to the right approached. “Travis, how you doing?” She was reloading the shotgun and spotted two more walkers approach from the area where the first went down. He didn’t immediately answer.

“Travis?!” She shouted after her two fresh shotgun rounds prompted an explosive spray of brain matter. She looked over her shoulder to see a walker within striking distance of the frozen patriarch. “Fuck,” she thought, pulling a throwing knife from a latch on the inside of her jacket. The silver knife whizzed through the air, past Travis’ temple and sunk into the eye socket of the approaching walker. The walker dropped and Travis was pulled out of his stupor. She scanned the area as she ran over to him feeling a slight bit of relief that there were no more walkers in sight. She put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “You’re doing just great Travis.” He nodded silently. “This way.” 

She led him to the shipping office where large windows looked out onto the parking lot. The summer sun beat at the pavement bounding back as wavy lines of heat. “There it is, my baby.” She pointed to the right, where a entirely unique looking Harley sat, reflecting sunbeams off its mostly chrome frame. 

“Is that?”

“Yes.”

“A machine gun?” 

“Yup,” Elyza beamed with pride.

“Mounted to the back of your bike?”

“Where else would I put it?” 

Travis was speechless for a moment, then let out a hearty laugh. “This is just too much.” He sat down in an empty office chair, placing his head in his hands and sighing loudly.

“Don’t fall apart on me now, Trav. We’re almost there.”

He looked up at the young woman’s face, framed by loose blonde curls that were beginning to cake with blood and sweat. It was the face of his saviour but it made him sad to think about someone so young becoming like this. He thought about Alicia, even though she was not his own daughter. For her mother’s sake, he hoped she would never turn into a woman like this. Someone who seems to revel in the violence. He didn’t quite understand the necessity of it but was grateful for her presence just the same. 

He broke his reverie, “Ok, what next.”

“We need to get all of these dock entrances secure, but that will be harder to do with walkers chasing after us.” Elyza squinted at the parking lot, contemplating.

“Locking the doors won’t help, they’ll break through eventually.”

“What if we block them using the trucks,” Elyza suggested. 

“Yes, that could work. I don’t suppose you know how to drive a semi?”

“Actually, I do,” Elyza’s trademark smug smile reformed on her lips.

“Of course you do,” Travis laughed. 

“But I can’t fire the machine gun and drive the semi at the same time.”

Travis took a deep breath. “I’ll take the gun,” he said with obvious doubt in his voice.

“Are you sure?” 

He looked out over the parking lot, at the growing horde of undead milling about. They weren’t people anymore. As much as he told himself that, he hadn’t quite gotten to believing it yet. But there was a part of him that had to at least pretend he believed it. To save himself. To save his family. He looked back to Elyza and nodded definitively.

Elyza grabbed him by both shoulders, her blue eyes wild, like the hottest part of a flame. He expected another pep talk but instead got a simple, “If you fuck this up, I will let those monsters eat you in order to save myself. Do you understand?”

There was no joking in her voice. Travis swallowed hard and nodded slowly.

“Good, let’s go.” 

Elyza grabbed the small collection of keys still hanging on the pegboard by the door. There were three trucks but four sets of keys. The optimist in her hoped that Travis would be a natural with the machine gun. It wasn’t a good time for the pessimist in her to show up, so she just ignored those ugly thoughts, replacing them with the face of a lovely brunette she had recently met. She smiled and tucked the keys into her jacket pocket. The universe wasn’t cruel enough to bring that beautiful face into her life, just to tear it away so quickly. They would be just fine.

Machete in hand, she ran toward the bike, taking out two walkers on the way with swift beheading strokes. Travis followed behind and managed to get one more with the hunting knife. She straddled the front seat, while Travis tucked in with his back to her and hands on the machine gun trigger.The engine turned over immediately and she drove in a wide circle, herding most of the walkers into a central spot.  

“It’s all you Trav,” Elyza shouted to him.

He hesitated just a moment then quickly remembered Elyza’s threat. He pulled the trigger and rounds began to pop off. The first few shooting into the air before he regained control of the firearm and trained it on the gathering crowd of walkers. The next few minutes rode by in a blur of dropping bodies and an unrelenting popping sound. His palms were sweating profusely. He initially paused frequently to wipe the sweat away but eventually gave up the battle and figured out how to hold on to the damn thing without it slipping. When there were only a handful of walkers milling about, he dropped the stock and examined his raw hands. Patches of skin had worn away and small droplets of blood began to peek through. 

Elyza noticed this and turned to him, “Welcome to the club. You’re not actually a bad shot. Maybe lady luck is on our si-”

Her sentence was cut short but the sudden lurch of Travis’ body being pulled from the motorcycle. They had ridden a bit too close to a walker whose legs had been obliterated but was still crawling desperately in search of its meal. Travis attempted to scramble away but the walkers inhuman strength pinned him down. The walker bared it’s teeth, ready to sink into the man’s leg when a metal baseball bat came crashing down, shattering its skull.

“Alicia?” Travis looked up at the figure of his girlfriends’ daughter standing over him, plaid shirt fluttering in the breeze. She helped Travis to his feet as Elyza parked her bike and ran over to join them. 

“What are you doing here?” They scolded her simultaneously.

“Saving you, obviously.”

“Goddamn it, you shouldn’t be out here.” Elyza seemed more distressed at her presence than Travis was. 

A hissing sound came from behind them as another walker approached. Elyza quickly pulled her pistol, pointed it over Alicia’s shoulder and squeezed the trigger. The body landed with a loud thud and Alicia flinched as the sound of the shot rung in her ear.

“Fuuuuuuck,” Elyza turned away in anger storming off toward her bike, taking a deep breath then returning. “Are you ok?” Alicia was squinting in pain and rubbing her ear. The ringing sensation had started to subside but she allowed the hand that Elyza placed on her shoulder to comfort her anyhow.

“I’ll be fine. You guys were taking too long. Everyone was starting to worry.”

“So they sent you?,” Travis asked, incredulously.

“Not exactly,” she avoided their eye contact. 

Elyza turned to Travis, “Let’s just get this done before they send more search parties.” Travis nodded in agreement.

“What’s the plan?” Alicia asked.

Elyza sighed, “We’re moving these three trucks over to blockade the gates. Stay with me. Travis will cover us with the machine gun.” Alicia’s gaze followed Elyza’s pointed hand to the Harley.

“Holy shit,” Alicia laughed. 

Usually Elyza would revel in impressing yet another person with her big gun but something about exposing this particular person to that part of herself bothered her. “Yah, it’s a big gun. Let’s go.”

Elyza stormed toward the first truck, Alicia followed closely, carrying the metal bat by its midsection. They marched silently, a stormcloud of Elyza’s palpable anger followed them. When they settled into the cab of the first truck, Alicia offered an apology. “I’m sorry. I was just trying to help.”

Elyza met those stunning green eyes and almost immediately forgot what she was angry about. “I know,” she said softly. “I’m sorry if I scared you.” The keys were already in the ignition and Elyza smiled at their good fortune as the truck started up easily. 

“You didn’t scare me,” Alicia answered. “I’m used to crazy, angry people fucking everything up. I have an addict for a brother.”

Elyza contemplated this new information for a moment as she shifted the truck into gear, “Did you just call me crazy?”

“Not directly.”

“Then, I’m indirectly crazy,” her eyes were on Alicia.

Alicia looked in their side mirrors, “You’re also indirectly about to run over Travis.”

The truck lurched as Elyza slammed on the brake. Alicia gave Elyza a look that the blonde wished she could kiss off her face but, instead, she gripped the wheel and stared ahead. “Stop distracting me.”

“I’m just sitting here,” Alicia rebutted with faux innocence.

“It would really help me if you could sit there quietly. I need to concentrate. I’ve only driven one of these a handful of times and I don’t want to fuck up the engine.”

Alicia would have laughed if their lives didn’t actually depend on Elyza not fucking this up. “Fine, lips are sealed.”

Elyza continued to maneuver the truck into place while using every ounce of concentration to forget that the person sitting next to her was even there. Occasional pops of the machine gun would break the silence as Elyza continued to move the truck into place.

In the second truck, the keys were absent. Elyza tried the first three keychains she had grabbed, to no avail. A long series of machine gun pops rang out, causing an increased sense of urgency. She frantically pulled the last key ring out of her pocket and it flew across the cabin, landing at Alicia’s feet.

Alicia and Elyza both looked down, but neither reached for it. “Oh, I’m not supposed to be here, remember?” Alicia said as sarcastically as possible.

Elyza simply growled in return, then slid over to reach for the errant set of keys. When she leaned down to grab them, her face landed practically in Alicia’s lap. Alicia began to squirm, her breath and heartbeat quickening when Elyza’s eyes looked up to meet hers. Elyza could clearly see the effect she was having on the brunette but when her fingers finally touched the rough metal of the key chain, she sat up quickly.  _ Fuck me _ , she whispered to herself.

“Hmm, what was that?” Alicia asked.

“Nothing, let’s hope this works,” she jammed the key into the ignition and the engine turned over easily. They both breathed a sigh of relief and after a few quick maneuvers, the trailer was in place.

Alicia opted to sit with Travis as Elyza moved the third truck and after the last distracting incident, Elyza didn’t argue. Luckily, the keys were there waiting. They had left the closest truck for last, so she was able to move it into place quickly. A small group of walkers could be seen down the road approaching. Out of gunshot range, but still an imminent threat. After the trailer settled into it’s spot, Elyza quickly ran to her bike.

“Take Alicia, I’ll be right behind,” Travis demanded. Elyza nodded in agreement and Alicia hopped on, wrapping her arms around Elyza’s waist. “Hold on tight,” Elyza smiled.

“I will,” she could feel Alicia’s arms push into her sides and for a moment, the whole crazy world dropped away. Elyza revved the engine then barreled across the parking lot and up the steps leading to the dock. They passed through the propped open office door and into the back room. They continued through large empty corridor, avoiding cadavers as best they could, until they burst through the swinging double doors where this whole excursion had begun. Everyone was there to greet them, with perfectly astonished faces. They dismounted and Elyza set the parking stand. 

“Where’s Travis?’ Maddy asked, distress painting her face.

“Don’t worry, he should be right behind us.” Everyone looked at the swinging door with increasing anticipation as each second passed. After a full minute, Elyza offered to go back for him but the doors suddenly swung open. Travis emerged, body partially bloodied and carrying some kind of animal in his arms. He set the limp body down on the ground. “Hurry, get me some towels and clean water.” Chris took off immediately, returning moments later with the requested items.

“Fish!” Elyza exclaimed, falling to her knees beside the creature. “Oh Fish, buddy. I knew you would come back to me.” Tears began to form at the corner of her eyes. “What happened?”

“As I was running back, a walker came out of nowhere. This guy jumped on him, giving me enough time to escape. The walker got its teeth in a bit, but I killed it with your knife.” Travis pulled the knife from his belt where he had stashed it and handed it back to Elyza. “I think he’ll be ok,” he continued, “The wound isn’t too deep, we just need to keep it cleaned and bandaged.”

Elyza immediately lay on the ground and pushed her face into the dogs’ muzzle. Fish began licking her, his tail wagging slightly. “You’ll be just fine. Yes you will. My brave Fish.”


	3. They're Animals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alicia has a present for Elyza. Nick inadvertently clam jams her. (p.s.-Fish the dog is fine)

The next morning, Alicia decided to peruse the candle aisle. The mostly bare shelves had been picked over when the lights first begun to turn off but she still gently lifted each remaining glass jar, examining labels and inhaling the scents. There was an unsurprising plethora of cinnamon, which she hated, but desperate times called for desperate measures. She was about to stash two small votives into her jacket pocket when a voice called from behind her, “Oi, I love the smell of cinnamon.” 

Alicia hid her smile from Elyza’s view then set her face back to its usual look of indifference. “You would,” she countered, placing the votives back on the shelf. 

The Aussie ignored the accusation and moved close to Alicia, their shoulders almost touching. She grabbed one of the votives Alicia had set down, lifted it to her nose and inhaled deeply. “Ah, reminds me of one of the better fosters. The mom would make this amazing curry. Fuck, I would kill for a plate of it right now.” She sniffed the candle again then placed it back on the shelf. “Makes my mouth water just to think of it.”

Alicia couldn't help but stare at Elyza’s lips at the mention of her mouth. She contemplated asking what else made it water but a wave of embarrassment hit her. Alicia wasn't a virgin by any stretch of the imagination but something about Elyza brought out a hyper awareness of her sexuality. It wasn't the fact that she was a girl. Alicia had been attracted to girls before. But the ever present danger surrounding them incited a sense of urgency in her life. There was no longer a need to hide behind proprietary inhibition and since Elyza was the embodiment of urgency and reckless abandon, Alicia both envied and desired her. The realization struck her and she immediately averted her eyes, focusing instead on a light blue, snowflake scented candle. She wasn't quite ready to approach Elyza so boldly and instead, challenged her earlier statement, “I’ve seen you kill for less.” 

Elyza shrugged in response, “Walkers don't count.” 

“And why not? They were people once. People who had lives and husbands and jobs and -” she paused slightly, “girlfriends.” Her eyes glanced up, catching another half-smile below smoky blue eyes. 

“Are you trying to tell me something, sweets?” Their eyes remained fixed on each other for a moment, before Alicia turned away.

“I'm just saying,” she picked up a larger unscented pillar candle but was disappointed to find it was electric, "they were people. They deserve some kind of respect.” 

“They’re animals and putting them out of their misery is the most respectful thing we can do.” A clicking noise suddenly began moving toward them and both sets of eyes quickly turned toward the center aisle. Elyza’s hand instinctively dropped to the machete handle at her waist.

“Ah, Fishhy Fish. What’s the dish, my little fish?” Elyza dropped to her knee accepting a face full of kisses from the Australian Shepherd mix. 

“You’re disgusting,” Elyza could practically hear Alicia’s eye roll.

She cradled the dogs’ face in her hands, “Aww Fish, are you going to let her talk to you like that?”

“I wasn't talking to the dog,” she chided.

Elyza turned her head to shoot Alicia an absolutely scornful look, then turned back to Fish. “Don’t worry, she just hates you because you’re almost prettier than her and you get to kiss me whenever you want.” Elyza was too busy aggressively rubbing his upturned belly to notice the smile creeping across Alicia’s face or the redness flushing into her cheeks. 

“I don't hate him. I'm just highly allergic to dogs, my whole family is.” 

A doubtful laugh escaped Elyza, “I bet your parents just told you that so you didn't ask for one every Christmas.” The accusation initially irked Alicia but thinking on it further, it was just the sort of thing her parents would have done. 

“Oh bud, you gotta stop scratching your wound,” Elyza frowned as she examined his dressing, soaked in blood and halfway pulled from the bite wound. The mention of it caused Alicia to perk up, “Oh! That reminds me.” Elyza and Fish stared inquisitively as Alicia sprinted down the aisle and disappeared to the left. The sound of her rubber soled shoes squeaking on the linoleum floor faded away then returned a few moments later. Alicia arrived carrying an oddly shaped plastic object in her hand. She knelt down beside Elyza and handed the object to her. 

Elyza, realizing what it was, began cackling. “Oh ho ho, Fish, she’s so jealous of your beauty that she made you a cone of shame in order to make you look just absolutely ridiculous.” She fastened the cone, built out of what appeared to be flexible plastic cutting boards, duct tape, an embroidery frame, and Velcro, around Fish’s neck then dropped to the floor sitting cross legged in front of him. Elyza examined the contraption with marked approval. “Alicia “Macguyver” Clark, you've outdone yourself. What did we do deserve such a thoughtful gift?” 

Alicia dropped to the floor next to her. She was facing Elyza but off to the side so that her left leg pressed up against Elyza’s right knee. “You did save my life.”

Elyza nodded then offered a slightly broken “Thank you.” Her voice was low and marked with a sincere tenderness that was uncharacteristic of the blonde. Alicia spotted a bit of wetness in the corners of Elyza’s eyes as she looked down at her canine companion. She wanted to throw her arms around Elyza and kiss away the tears but settled on saying, “You’re welcome.” She punctuated it by placing her hand on Elyza’s knee and telling her he would be just fine.  
Elyza nodded but didn't take her eyes off the pup, now lazily curled up in front of her. “He was my flat mates’ dog, but I think he liked me more. We were attending Uni together in California, but Mitchell was never home. Life of a med student, eh?” She finally looked up at Alicia and the hand still resting on her knee. She took Alicia’s palm in her own, “I won't let what happened to Mitchell happen to you or your family.” 

Alicia’s breath caught in her lungs. This woman was practically a stranger but Elyza made her feel secure in the most unsafe of circumstances. The way her blue eyes and sharp tongue pierced the barriers of sarcasm and indifference Alicia tried to put up with everyone, was both terrifying and comforting. It was similar to the way Matt had made her feel but it was happening so quickly and so intensely that she still couldn't quite wrap her brain around it. 

Elyza’s eyes, now sparkling with tears, were trained on her, the gentle but determined face, just inches away. Alicia made the choice to shut her brain off and do what her body wanted for once. She squeezed the palm in hers, intent on pulling Elyza in for a kiss, but was interrupted by the sound of a sudden, loud squeal followed by a crash.

They jumped up simultaneously. “What the fuck?! That better not be what I think it is,” Elyza shouted as she took off toward the source of the sound. Her boots pounding the linoleum as she ran, causing nearby knick knacks to shake on their shelves. Alicia followed with a lighter, less threatening gait, and the sound of Fish’s collar jingling trailed behind them. When Alicia arrived at the crash scene, Elyza was already yelling. 

“Jesus Tapdancing Christ, Nick, I will fucking kill your useless junkie ass if anything is broken.”  
So much for promising to protect my family, Alisha thought to herself. 

In his wasted stupor, Nick had decided to take Elyza’s Harley for a joy ride, crashing it into a display of canned green beans. Maddy and Travis joined the scene and the yelling immediately intensified. Travis tried in vain to calm Elyza down, though he did successfully convince her to keep all of her weapons sheathed.. Maddy was simultaneously scolding Nick and apologizing for him, while the culprit himself let out a few apologies then began to remove the cans of green beans one at a time. 

Alicia watched quietly for a moment to make sure Nick wasn't hurt then pulled her iPod out and stuffed her earplugs in. Fish had plopped down next to her. She addressed the entirely pathetic looking animal, “Enjoy the show. I've seen this episode before. It's not one of their best.” She gave the sole audience member a couple of pats on the head, theorizing that her hand would swell up and turn red if she was actually as deathly allergic as her parents said she was. She waited a few minutes but her palm remained its original size and shade. Our family is built on a foundation of lies, she thought to herself with deliberate melodrama. She chuckled at her own absurdity then headed back toward the candle aisle. She almost laughed again as the thought entered her mind that her life would be perfect material for a reality TV show, if TV, or even reality, existed as it used to. But there were no cameras here, no scripted lines, no suggestive dialogue being fed to them. All she had were her own innate, ever evolving desires and shelves full of cinnamon candles.


End file.
